


Wee Hours of the Morning

by princessqwin



Category: Brave (2012)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bears, Comfort, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hair Washing, LETS GET FLUFFY, Love, Nightmares, Oneshot, dunbroch clan, soft shit, the accents tho, the bear inicident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-02 22:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15805884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessqwin/pseuds/princessqwin
Summary: Elinor can't shake the chill from her nightmares. The bear incident has made her feel a bit out of control and haunted. Luckily Fergus is the best husband ever and offers reassurance and love!A bit of fluffy fluff and comfort for yall's Eli/Ferg fans out there. I enjoyed writing this one!





	Wee Hours of the Morning

In the wee hours of the morning, Elinor woke with a start. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow, she had yet another nightmare. The nightmares were few and far in between, but still, they came nonetheless. She sat up as she tried to steady her breathing. Fighting the urge to wake Fergus and tell him about the dreams that haunted her some nights and in the early mornings, she got out of bed and walked to the fireplace instead.

The mornings were always cold and still. The fire beyond the hearth had snuffed itself out and left burnt logs reminiscent of warmth. She sat on the chilly wood floor and flicked the small stones until the fireplace was lit. Rubbing her arms to send the cold away she sat there on the hard floor with her knees tucked under her, staring into the flames. Her thoughts drifted off as the fire danced her mind into a trance. Her nightmares slowly returned to replay themselves in her mind.  

 

  
_Fergus and the other clans were after her. Torches, swords, and spears were clenched in the hands of the men who chased her. She desperately cried out for help but only noises of a bear came through. She neared the stone opening and realized she was trapped. The men had gained on her and there they stood, looks of disgust and hate written on their faces._

_Elinor could smell the scent of another bear. A familiar scent that invaded her senses once before, it was Mor' Du. He was near and she didn't know what frightened her more, her king killing her or the demon bear killing them all. Mor' Du's growls echoed through the field, it was angry and powerful. He charged into the opening not far from Elinor searching for a prey. He halted in the middle of the clearing as he let out a ferocious roar. The men gasped in fear but nervously stood their ground. They had heard tales of the demon bear but never had they witnessed him in person._

_Just then, Merida rode into the opening atop Angus' back with a tapestry in hand, the boys bouncing behind her. Angus caught sight of Mor'Du and came to an abrupt stop throwing Merida from his back. "Angus!" she shouted and grabbed her head wincing as she looked up to see Mor'Du a mere foot away from her. She shrieked as she scurried back._

_"Merida!" Fergus bellowed, panic rising as he ran towards Merida with his sword drawn. He had already lost his wife, he would not lose his daughter as well. He ran as fast as his leg would let him. Mor'Du made way to Merida, ready to attack her._

_Elinor wailed, her mind went blank as she darted towards Mor'du. The bears were faster than Fergus and he saw both charging toward his princess. He would not let them both have her, he would give his life before he'd let another bear attack his family._

_Mor'Du, Elinor, and Fergus all went for Merida with haste. Mor'Du's mouth opened wide, ready to clamp down but in an instant, Elinor rammed into the beast's side throwing him away from Merida. Elinor swiped her claws in an attempt to injure and subdue Mor'Du. But, at that moment Fergus had seen different. He had driven his sword into Elinor's belly to stop the bear._

_"NO!!" A pained scream came from his daughter._

 

A loud pop from the burning log snapped Elinor back to reality. A chill ran through her as she took a deep breath. The nightmares weren't as frequent anymore but vivid they remained. She stood running her fingers through her long loose hair, still looking into the fire. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet as she made her way to a chest at the end of their bed. The wooden chest creaked loudly as she grabbed a blanket from it.  
Fergus stir, she heard a soft snort come from her husband and she looked up to see him staring back at her in awe.

"Aye, ye are a great beauty to wake to in the mornin'. Are ye cold lass?" he asked her and went to swipe a few droplets of sweat from his forehead. The new fire she started had made the room warmer for him but not so much for her.

"Aye dearie, I have a wee chill..." she hesitated.

"A wee? Ye shiverin'! Eli is something wrong?" Fergus's brows knit together as he clumsily crawled to the edge of the bed to get a better look at his wife. He scooped her up into his lap and wrapped the warm wool blankets around her. Elinor started to sniffle as her shivering continued.

"Lass please tell me wot's botherin' ye. My heart aches to see ye sad and weepin'" he put a finger under her chin lifting her eyes to look at his. She stared into his eyes unable to speak. Embarrassment filled her and she felt ashamed to tell her husband that she still had nightmares about the bear incident. She felt ashamed that she let her mind believe Fergus could ever harm her in that way. He had no idea she was the bear, if he did he would have never raised his sword to her.

She started to shiver again, harder than before.

"Elinor ye teeth are clattering! Are ye coming down with something? Should I call for a nurse?" This made him concerned, he wanted to soothe her but he didn't know what was causing it.

She turned quickly in his arms, "no no I'm fine my dearest!... I just ..." she broke into tears and buried her face in his tunic. She let out a painful sob, one she had been holding in for weeks. The nightmares were taking their toll on her and she hadn't told Fergus or anyone about them recently. She felt happy and active with her daughter and the boys during the day but as night drew near she could feel the memories and fear creeping in.

"Oh, Eli..." Fergus brought her into a tighter embrace until her sobs lightened. It pained him to see her like this, she appeared so fragile. Elinor was the strongest person he knew and now she shook in his arms and he wanted nothing than to hold her and never let go.

She lifted her head when she felt Fergus adjusting her in his arms. He held her close with his right hand and went to put on his peg leg with his left. "Fergus? Wot are ye-"

"Shh lass I have ye, it's okay. I know what you need"

Elinor stayed quiet and let him carry her out of their bedroom and down the hall, her sobs had subsided. The sun still hadn't come up but the dark skies were getting their early morning blue glow. She mindlessly stared out the windows passing in the hall. She replayed the scenario of how Fergus would have reacted if only he knew she was the bear after he struck her, how heartbroken Merida would have been. How her boys, cubs at that time would have been left motherless or worse left in the wild to fend for themselves. They were smart boys but they were still wee babes. Merida would have cared for them...how would she have convinced her father those bears were now to be a part of his life.

Fergus came to a stop, "the baths?" Elinor looked up at her husband trying to figure out what he was up to.

Fergus could sense her slowly protesting. "Relaaaaax lass, I know wot my wife needs" his tone was light and playful. Elinor sighed and let him take her into the bath room. There, he placed her on a stool by the wooden wash tub.

Another chill went through her as Fergus' warmth left her. She pulled the blankets closer to herself, "Fergus.." another sigh came from her.

"Uh uh, I'm almost done lamb cake."

 Fergus had started warming up a large basin of water over the fire. She heard him fumbling through some of the cupboards in the room. Looking down at her feet she started to shiver again, her feet were cold, she was so cold. _Why am I still freezing_ , she thought and brought a hand up to push a stray hair out of her face.

Meanwhile, Fergus grabbed the basin of hot water, "och, hot hot!" he whispered loudly as he poured the water into the tub. Elinor chuckled in her mind at the sight. Her eyes closed and she inhaled deeply as the room filled with the scent of Thistle that Fergus had added to the steaming bath water. She was brought out of her trance when she heard him call her name. He had lit a few of the torches in the room without her noticing.

 He extended a hand to her with a soft smile gracing his masculine features. Her blankets fell to the floor as she took his hand and he led her to the waiting bath water. In front of the tub, he slowly removed the ribbons that held the top of her nightgown up. It fluttered to the floor, cold air immediately hitting her uncovered body."C'mon lass let's get ye warmed up" Fergus spoke as he watched her cross her arms over her chest. He held her at the elbow as she stepped in the tub and settled down.

"Mmm," an appreciative sound came from her. She pulled her knees close relishing the feel of the warm water engulfing her. Fergus slid the stool beside the tub and sat upon it. He dipped his hand into the water loosening the thistles that had clumped together. Elinor watched his hands make delicate swirls in the water, moving closer to her legs. His hand trailed up her knee and back down her thigh. Finally, his hand making it's way up her arm and into her hair, it was so soothing, his touch. She loved his touch, it made her feel normal again, it made her feel whole.

 Fergus took a cloth and started to stroke it down the sides of her body lightly. He leaned in giving the top of her head a kiss, breathing in the scent of his wife while he was there. "Ah, ye bring me so much peace and joy," he said contently.

Elinor sniffled as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. _How could I ever think such horrid thoughts of my husband_ , she cried in her mind.

"Elinor, wee lamb please tell me whats botherin' ye?" a hint of sadness was in his voice as he tried to connect with her.

"I can not.." She choked out, her sobs came back and she could not stop them. The nightmares wracked her mind and she just couldn't block out the hideous thoughts. She hugged her knees tighter. "Fergus, I can not stop the nightmares. They all end the same and I'm so afraid" she sobbed.

"Afraid of wot lass? You can tell me."

"Afraid....if Merida had not stepped in you would have..." she stopped herself, "have killed me" she pushed out.

Fergus made a noise of shock when he heard her words. "Elinor I...lass I would never, could never-" his words were cut short as he thought about the situation that haunted his wife so deeply.

Elinor covered her mouth as loud sobs came through, her body trembled at her own agonizing admission. Fergus' realization of what he would have done had confirmed what she had been dreading.

Though she was spared in time by her willful daughter interfering, the thought of what could have happened was terrifying to her. Elinor's body was tense as Fergus gathered her in his arms, his arms were strong and offered her safety. His face nuzzled her dampened hair as he spoke his mind, " I'm so sorry....Elinor, I did not know. I thought the bear I was facing was the one that had taken ye. I only wanted to avenge ye I-"

"I know!" she interrupted him and paused getting her words together, "...and I know it's silly for me to think this! I'm just...I was..." her words trailed off as she stared at the guilt in his eyes.

Fergus gently put a finger under her chin, he stared into her beautiful brown eyes. "Eli, I will never bring harm to ye or our family," he whispered hoarsely, "it was a tough situation for us all and we're thru' it now. Ye are here with me and I am here with ye," he ended.

Elinor felt the sting of tears that threatened to fall again. Fergus lowered his head to kiss a single tear that had made its way down her cheek. His beard tickling her face sent pleasant shivers through her. Elinor closed her eyes taking in the feel of his lips against her skin. She reached up to gently hold his face, her lips connected with his and they stayed there for what seemed like forever. It was a feeling she never wanted to let go.

 

 

 

The bath water had gone cold when Fergus finally lowered her back down into the tub. "At least my chills are gone Fergus," Elinor chuckled while grabbing the washcloth.

"Aye, I think I may have something to do with that!" Fergus boomed behind her. She moaned in delight as he took her hair in his hand and began to wash it, she loved when he ran his fingers through her hair. As she continued to clean herself, she hurried not wanting to fall prey to the cold again.

fergus had finished rinsing her hair when she reached for the towel. "I thank ye, my love. I feel so much better. Ye, always know what I need," she kissed again.

"That I do," he replied while sweeping her off the ground. "Now let's get ye back in bed and get ye really warmed up!"

"Och! Fergus!" she love-tapped him as she giggled at her husband's saucy humor. A blush crept across her face as she thought of how he still loved her unconditionally through her faults and recent doubts.

  
Her heart filled with love and the dark thoughts that haunted her in those weeks vanished. Fergus, her husband, her king, her rock, had made that happen.

**Author's Note:**

> #INeedaLoveLikeTheirs
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed that one!


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